The mechanism for the electronic transfer of information from a source to a destination can, in the simplest of terms, be described as consisting of end user equipment such as telephone handsets, computer workstations, etc., connected by a transmission media such as fiber optic, coaxial cable and RF wireless links. In today""s Information Technology jargon, this is commonly referred to as the xe2x80x9cEnterprisexe2x80x9d and consists of Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (LAN/MAN) that are associated with the primary business operations, connected via high-speed trunks to create Wide Area Networks.
The management of this enterprise has traditionally been limited to some minimal management of the end user equipments or the xe2x80x9csystemsxe2x80x9d and management of the transmission media or the xe2x80x9cnetworkxe2x80x9d, with the functionality of these two different management domains executed by different organizations, using different suites of management tools. However, as xe2x80x9cend usersxe2x80x9d demand more than simple telephony and e-mail services, and networks expand in dimension and complexity, these separate and distinct methods of management cannot continue to provide proactive maintenance of Service quality. Services are the business processes supported by the underlying networks and equipment. Layered on top of this is the evolving need to have services associated with other offices and organizations such as billing and finance, network and systems engineering, customer service, and service provisioning/maintenance included in overall Enterprise Management process. FIG. 1 illustrates just some of the many activities that can be associated with the domain of enterprise management. These activities are based on the OMNI Point reference model presented by the Network management Forum.
xe2x80x9cOut-of-the-Boxxe2x80x9d management applications generally address only parts of the necessary integrated management capability. Some of the management applications vendors have formed alliances or relations and have provided some degree of integration, but these are generally limited to specific, xe2x80x9chighly desirablexe2x80x9d functions such as the spawning of a maintenance trouble ticket based on receipt of specific alarms from network or system elements. Some vendors are also seeking to provide complete solutions but, because of the widespread and expanding nature of the Enterprise Management process, can only address well-specified subsets of the overall process.
In summary, the object of this invention is to provide an enterprise management integration tool to provide a centralized repository for storage and processing of information related to the execution of the enterprise management functions. This is accomplished through the use of a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and specific database schema that model the enterprise components and services being managed. The interface with this database will be in one of two preferred forms: (1) software bridges to specific management applications; (2) standardized Structured Query Language (SQL) to applications that support the use of SQL.
The database-centric approach for this invention provides a framework for integration of myriad applications (software programs) based on the needs of the enterprise management personnel. It also provides mechanisms for distribution of management information between enterprise management sites to increase the robustness and fault resistance of the enterprise management system, support sharing of management responsibilities between enterprise management sites, and allow for distribution of management information to organizations and personnel indirectly associated with the enterprise management process (e.g., billing and finance, engineering, etc.).